Change often leads to criticism, so you have to be accountable and keep control of the message.

It’s a relief to see the Ontario government suspend its controversial eco fee program for three months.

I’ve rarely seen the citizens of this province react so angrily to a new initiative.

In fact, I expected to see more hostility against the launch of the harmonized sales tax, as in British Columbia.

Instead, people seemed to channel their rage into the eco fees, which had a lesser impact on their cost of living than the HST.

Maybe it was a case of unfortunate timing, since both came in on the same day (July 1).

And maybe it was a case of having a well-executed communication plan for the HST and almost no advance notice for the expanded eco fee program – leading to distress when consumers started seeing mysterious charges on their sales receipts.

I think this “fee-asco” has lessons for leaders in how to launch change in a way the public will accept.

-- Make it simple. You have to craft a quick summary of who you are and what you hope to do. It’s called an elevator pitch, since you want to sell yourself in the time it takes to ride from the ground floor to the top of a high-rise office tower.

Stewardship Ontario didn’t prepare an elevator pitch. It provided no coherent explanation of eco fees at its website, nor an easily accessible list of fees to use on a shopping trip.

Instead, its messaging was defensive and negative from the start – the media got it wrong, this is not a tax grab, we’re not a government body, we have no involvement in the setting or collection of eco fees and no authority over how stewards manage the fees.

• Take accountability. When you get bad press, which often happens when you tamper with the status quo, you have to make yourself visible.

It’s a time when a chief executive has to respond to every media call that comes in and squeeze as many interviews into a schedule as possible.

It’s not a time to hide from the public, as Stewardship Ontario’s CEO Gemma Zecchini did for a week before issuing a contrite news release.

And need I mention that Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty hasn’t made any statements, delegating everything to his environment minister John Gerretsen?

• Keep control. When you’re a leader, you can’t escape responsibility for failure by blaming others. You’re in charge and you must maintain oversight of any arm’s length bodies that carry out your wishes.

The Liberal government created Waste Diversion Ontario to be in charge of recycling – which, in turn, created Ontario Tire Stewardship and Ontario Electronic Stewardship, plus Stewardship Ontario.

These non-profit bodies are run by volunteer boards of directors, consisting of stewards from across the supply chain. They’re not professional communicators.

The fury over fees for detergents and driveway sealers gives the government a chance to explain its other stewardship programs. What fees do consumers pay when buying tires, computers, printers and telephones?

My advice: Get ahead of the curve. Start talking about how all these programs work – and make sure to mention the electronics recycling program’s second phase that came in on April 1, with more products and some higher steward fees.

• Be compassionate. Change is disruptive. Change can hurt. That’s why you have to monitor it carefully.

Consider the people who lack the resilience to cope with higher prices and be sensitive to their plight. And be sensitive to those trying to implement change without clear direction – such as the retailers that drew criticism for mispricing household items.

If such large companies can’t make sense of the rules, then the rules are at fault. It’s time to backtrack and find a new direction.

The Ontario government finally did so after 10 days of tempest. Let’s hope it does better next time.

Ellen Roseman writes about personal finance and consumer issues. You can reach her at eroseman@thestar.ca, 416-945-8687 or ellenroseman.com

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